In 1862 the London and South Western Railway Company obtained Government permission to run steamship services and ordered the Normandy (Alderney 2s. stamp) from John Ash and Company, of London. This 600-ton iron paddle steamer, with a speed of 15'/2 knots, was a vast improvement on previous vessels. She was the first steamer on the route to have a straight stem and was a popular vessel. Unfortunately she met with disaster on March 17, 1869 when run down by the steamer Mary in dense fog some 40 miles SW of the Needles. A monument facing the entrance to St. Helier harbour, Jersey, commemorates the heroism of Capt. Harvey of the Normandy and the 30 crew and passengers who lost their lives in the collision.